Harvick wins Atlanta again
Third victory in Georgia starts with drivers pausing to honor George Floyd
HAMPTON, Ga. — After another dominant performance at one of his favorite tracks, Kevin Harvick relished the past and looked ahead to the future.
He wasn’t entirely focused on what he can do behind the wheel.
Harvick cruised to victory Sunday over Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. in the NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, leading the final 55 laps on a day that began with the series acknowledging the social unrest in the country.
Before the green flag, the 40 cars stopped in front of the empty grandstands on the front stretch to listen to a message from NASCAR president Steve Phelps and observe a 30second moment of silence in the wake of George Floyd’s death while in police custody.
Harvick also joined other drivers in making a video that promised to push for much-needed changes in the fractured nation.
“Something has to change. When you look at what happened in Minneapolis, it’s just disgraceful to everyone,“he said. “It’s just unbelievable to sit and watch these things happen. It’s really confusing. It makes you confused and mad. Now we know what we need to do and where to start.”
Harvick won for the second time since NASCAR returned from the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, adding to his emotional victory at Darlington in the first race back.
Harvick came into the day having led 1,138 laps on the 1.54-mile Atlanta trioval, far more than any other driver in the 40-car field.
This one was more of the same. Harvick was out front for 151 laps — more than twice as many as anyone else — and claimed his a third victory in Atlanta, where he got first Cup triumph in 2001 and another win two years ago.
“For me, this place is pretty special,“said Harvick, who beat Busch by more than 3½ seconds, with Truex nearly 5 seconds behind. “It brings back a lot of memories.”
On a reverse victory lap, Harvick held three fingers outside his car, a tribute to the late Dale Earnhardt. Harvick replaced Earnhardt after the seven-time champion was killed in a crash at Daytona in 2001.
Three weeks later, Harvick won in Atlanta.
He now has 51 wins — breaking a tie with Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for the 12th on the career list.
Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, in what may have been his final Atlanta appearance, was given the honor of delivering the “start your engines” command to his fellow drivers.
A five-time winner on the 1.54-mile trioval, Johnson had another strong run in Atlanta. But his seventhplace showing extended a winless that stretches back more than three years.
NASCAR returned to Atlanta to make up a race that was initially scheduled for March 15. It became the first race to be postponed as U.S. sports largely shut down to deal with a pandemic that has now claimed more than 110,000 American lives.
This time, it was the spot where NASCAR waded into the debate over the injustices endured by African Americans — a striking move for a sport that once embraced Confederate symbols and still struggles to overcome its perception as a conservative bastion reserved largely for whites.
Bubba Wallace, the only African American in the Cup series, donned a black T-shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe” and “Black Lives Matter” while standing on pit road before the race.
Wallace finished 21st and appeared to faint after climbing from his car on a blistering day when temperatures climbed into the mid-80s. He said he was OK and did a portion of a TV interview, but then was wasn’t able to speak.
Wallace was taken by ambulance to the infield care center, where to was sitting up as he was taken inside on a stretcher. He was treated and released a short time later, though no additional details were provided on what caused his problem.
Phelps spoke to the drivers over their radio sets before they took the green flag.
“Our country is in pain and people are justifiably angry, demanding to be heard,“Phelps said. “The black community and all people of color have suffered in our country, and it has taken far too long for us to hear their demands for change. Our sport must do better. Our country must do better.”